Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Recently, the Parks Department workers at Tompkins Square Park sealed off the area heretofore occupied by crusties, brought in wood chips, and started the process of reclaiming the ground the crusties defiled.

Here is a picture of the spread-about wood chips:

Spread-about wood chips.

Here is a picture of the fence that keeps the crusties out:

The fence.

Crusties don't go onto this side of the grassy area because they don't like the sun. I mean, they're probably OK with the sun itself, but they don't like sunlight to touch them.

It's almost that time of the year when the crusties will be heading south for the Winter — just like the ducks!

Monday, August 29, 2016

Just two months ago, I wrote about the activity taking place on Avenue D between East 6th and 7th Streets, where the ugly, abandoned buildings had been torn down. This past Saturday, I went to check on the progress, and found these orange Jersey barriers:

Orange Jersey barriers.

You can see a pile driver against the building above. Here is a picture of another pile driver:

I was walking home last night from the Lower East Side, along East Houston Street, on the East Village side, when I saw this enormous COOL painted onto the side of the traffic island that separates the East Village from the world to the south:

10-O COOOOOOOOOOL.

It's too long to get into one picture, so I divided it into two:

9-O COOOOOOOOOL.

You never know how many Os will be in COOL… in the East Village Today!

Last night after work, I took a trip outside the East Village, to the Lower East Side!* I had been invited through Instagram to see the new mural by the illustrious JodoNYC!

It's not easy finding one's way around outside the East Village, but after putting my sleuthing skills to work I eventually found the beloved Stanton Social. I asked the greeter inside if she knew where the bee was, and she showed me — and now I will show you:

Giant Jodo Bee.

They grow so quickly — I remember when this bee was knee-high to a grasshopper!

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* This is in an area known as Hello Square — people here are so friendly, they welcome you with a resounding Hello!

Late Summer is the time for taking a look at the state of some of the stores that East Villagers belove so much.

One such store is the beloved Trash & Vaudeville, on East 7th Street:

Trash & Vaudeville.

I can't bring myself to go inside this store. Whenever I pass by, they are empty, and I don't want to raise hopes that I'm going to buy something, when I only want to take pictures of the empty store.

I predict that very soon this store will close, and since most of the merchandise will be shipped off to sunny San Diego to be sold online, the only thing available for the Going Out of Business Sale will be what no one wants, like when St. Mark's Bookshop closed.

Of course, they could expand their inventory to include newer fashions!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Back in late-Spring/early-Summer, I was riding my Citibike down Second Avenue, on my way home from work. Like all Citibikers, I stopped when the light turned red, at the intersection of East 10th Street.

Suddenly, a bird sitting above me pooped!

Luckily, I am charmed, so it missed me. Still, I am wary now, each time I stopped at this light.

Recently, they removed the old payphone that stood at this corner, and replaced it with this hole, and some reinforcing rods, and orange barrels, and caution tape:

Hole, reinforcing rods, orange barrels, and caution tape.

A day or two later, they replaced the hole with this cement covering:

Cement covering.

It probably won't have any effect on birds pooping, though. You still have to be wary… in the East Village Today!